❓ WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding the Gorgon gas project's CO2 sequestration performance against its original environmental approvals. It reveals significant shortfalls in CO2 injection and Chevron's plan to offset them.
AnsweredQoN 346Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Gorgon gas project, and I ask: (a) How much CO2 was required to be sequestered at the Barrow Island site each year under the original project approvals; (b) Has this figure changed and if so, what was the change and what was the date of each change; (c) How much CO2 has been sequestered in each year; (d) What is the shortfall in each year and what is the total shortfall; and (e) What agreement has the state made with Chevron to address this shorfall?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 February 2022
Responded by
Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade
Response time
1 days
The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation advises:
(a) The original State Environmental Approvals Ministerial Statements 748 and 800 required the Gorgon Joint Venturers to sequester, over a five-year rolling average, at least 80 per cent of the reservoir carbon dioxide removed during the gas processing operations on Barrow Island.
(b) Ministerial Statement 1136 dated 29 May 2020 identified the dates by which the sequestration was required to commence from each of the three LNG trains. The requirement to sequester at least 80 per cent of the reservoir carbon dioxide over any five-year rolling period however remained unchanged.
(c) The public environmental reporting provided by the Gorgon Joint Venturers subject to Ministerial Statement 800 indicates that:
(1) No reservoir carbon dioxide was injected during the financial years ending 30 June 2016, 2017, 2018 or 2019.
(2) For the 2020 financial year, the equivalent of 2,707,092 tonnes of carbon dioxide was injected.
(3) For the 2021 financial year, the equivalent of 2,170,594 tonnes of carbon dioxide was injected.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation advises:
(d) Ministerial Statement 800 requires a five-year rolling average, therefore an annual shortfall figure cannot be determined. The shortfall over the five-year rolling average, 18 July 2016 to 17 July 2021, is 5,233,533 tonnes.
(e) Chevron has reported its intention to offset the shortfall.
(a) The original State Environmental Approvals Ministerial Statements 748 and 800 required the Gorgon Joint Venturers to sequester, over a five-year rolling average, at least 80 per cent of the reservoir carbon dioxide removed during the gas processing operations on Barrow Island.
(b) Ministerial Statement 1136 dated 29 May 2020 identified the dates by which the sequestration was required to commence from each of the three LNG trains. The requirement to sequester at least 80 per cent of the reservoir carbon dioxide over any five-year rolling period however remained unchanged.
(c) The public environmental reporting provided by the Gorgon Joint Venturers subject to Ministerial Statement 800 indicates that:
(1) No reservoir carbon dioxide was injected during the financial years ending 30 June 2016, 2017, 2018 or 2019.
(2) For the 2020 financial year, the equivalent of 2,707,092 tonnes of carbon dioxide was injected.
(3) For the 2021 financial year, the equivalent of 2,170,594 tonnes of carbon dioxide was injected.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation advises:
(d) Ministerial Statement 800 requires a five-year rolling average, therefore an annual shortfall figure cannot be determined. The shortfall over the five-year rolling average, 18 July 2016 to 17 July 2021, is 5,233,533 tonnes.
(e) Chevron has reported its intention to offset the shortfall.
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